Thank you so much for bringing our Lord's Hope and Mercy back into my reality, one that our enemy allways seeks to rob me of! Our enemy hates me, and I hate Him! He hates me and tries to destroy me because I am allways seeking our Lord Jesus and the Holy spirit!
The thing that stops me from conquering my passions is pride. The minute I start having a bit of success against it, that’s when I face a temptation that I cannot resist and great is my fall. Lord, teach me to be humble and have humility and love.
That has been happening to me too. The only way is to fight, and keep fighting with the weapons Christ has given us. The Confession, the Holy Communion, the Fasting etc.
Crack a joke whenever that feeling of pride comes at you (obviously, from the devil). As a merry but earnest man from early childhood, I know that as St. Anthony of the Desert said, the devil can't bear to be mocked! Laughter, I know full well, is based on an absurdity surprising us by stating what is silly. This the devil hates - he wants us to take him SERIOUSLY! That's why God inspired St. Anthony to taunt his pyrotechnic displays: Satan was using these images to show he's powerful ... St. Anthony sneers at this and asks "Is that all you have? How weak!" And the devil would cease. Laughing at one's sensation of pride, I submit, deflates pride in an instant! Since the devil is joyless, this "shrugging our shoulders" at the preposterous idea that we are anything superior by having escaped one encounter with a vice is our way to LET GO OF IT, to kick it out for the absurdity that pride is! We have no basis for pride ... all we have that succeeds God has given us! See the Holy righteousness, indeed humility, of letting yourself laugh at this impulse you hate! Send it packing with a laugh at the fool devil who proposed it to us to embrace ... we instead REJECT it as idiotic. After that's done we have regained mastery of our will and our heartfelt love of Christ who is meek because only God has bragging rights, but He never brags - instead His great heart expresses Love. I know this explanation of merriment-as-healthy is woefully oversimplified. I leave it to dear Fr. Josiah to develop it fully. The reality I'm just starting to capture here is that God is the font of TRUE merriment and has given us the gift, and it is another paradox, like all His infinitely profound creation. Heaven is filled not only with power but also with robust joy ... the devil is the idiot loser who only laughs in a spirit of hate. God knows how to laugh in perfect Holiness and He expects us to also. I hope I'm saying this right. It's sequel to "To everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven." (Ecclesiastes 3:1) Praise our Lord God, joyful yet tender, relaxed yet glorious .... all our feelings come from Him; sin is our misuse of them. The Puritains would not allow themselves to feel any pleasure ... they wanted abject seriousness to be our only demeanor, snuffing out any sense of humor and enjoyment. It's like this: "I have a sense of humor and I'm not afraid to use it. I laugh you out of my soul! Beat it, loser, you're absolutely no fun at all. I LAUGH at you and your pathetic pretensions and temptations. I sneeze them all out of me with a laugh, for you are absurd as is everything you propose. Get thee gone. HAH! Achoo!!"
Thank you father. I am working to enter Catechism at a local church, in no small part thanks to your teachings here on UA-cam. The fear of facing my deepest sins at times convinces me that I am not worthy of the church or will be refused. I must always remember Christ's forgiveness.
My brother. I recently started Catechism a couple of weeks ago. I have heard from so many orthodox Pastors & Priests that the Orthodox Church is a hospital. I don’t see how or why you would be turned away. If King David whom was an adulterer via murder, then certain a truly humble Son of God can be accepted into the church. Go in peace my Brother and let the Holy Spirit of God guide you and not the fear of the enemy. I pray for a fruitful Catechism and your confirmation and acceptance into the church, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
It is about moving forward now in your life. Others may not want to move on, but remember us in a bad light. That is their problem, but God loves you and me.
That comment on marriage was really great. Wish i had the help and wisdom about marriage growing up, i would not have married the way i did. My husband did not want to get married, but as a Christian, i wanted to. Then i remarried and that was for the wrong reason too. It matters so much how you view marriage, and how a future spouse views it too.
It's exactly what father said. Paul only said that remaining single (having no desire for a sexual/marital companion) was good because you're free from the obligation of putting a spouse and family first, so that your entire focus can be to offer the sacrificial service of your whole life to the Lord. There is no other reason one should intentionally remain single other than dedicating their whole life to the Lord, such as missionaries and people in ministry circumstances that would create hardship for their family if they had one. The problem is, most people use this verse as an excuse to claim that "single is better", just because they want to be free and do what they want, not because they want to make the sacrifice of dedicating 100% of their attention to the Lord, and serve in potentially difficult circumstances. There is nothing "better" about being single, because Genesis tells us that one of the first commands from God to humanity was to be fruitful and multiply.. as man and wife! God literally stated that man should not be alone and gave him a wife on purpose! The Bible tells us over and over what a blessing and an asset a spouse and children are, but people still manage to get this verse from paul twisted all the time.
From my experience the holly spirit has to come to you through reading the scriptures and when he comes you’ll have an understanding of all things in the Bible and outside and how it applies to you in reality and why is wrong what you could be doing or not either to others or yourself I find myself sometimes sobbing when I feel so forgiven ,so loved, understood ,and is easy for me to pour out my heart to God because is not easy as it seems , there’s lots of lup -holes inside of us ,denials,darkness sometimes But my day is not the same after I do it But I guess is something to experience by ourselves , he’ll find the way to get to you when you are ready Don’t rush
…”repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance”..Acts 26:20 “… bear fruit in keeping with repentance”…Matthew 3:8 through prayer and through the blessing of God’s Grace; these words above I remind myself.
Father, my family was recently received into the Romanian Orthodox Christian Church of American Episcopate by Baptism, Chrismation and now receive Communion. Can you please bless my family with a discount coupon for an order of 2 Icons? I plan on paying for them on January 20th. One is Saint Nicholas (our Patron and Parish Saint) and the second is an Icon of the Guardian Angel. My husband has had 6 back surgeries (a birth defect in the spine) and is now on disability. So we don't have much money. Thank you so so much. I will comment this under your videos and hopefully you will answer, God willing.
What about if it’s too late and you have already divorced and it’s too late to amend the last marriage. Can you start again? I married for a second time and we’ve been together for 14 years. What do you suggest for people like us?
There are two instances of sin that I can remember being told of in the old testament that God would NOT forgive. To blaspheme the Holy spirit, that is a sin God will not forgive. During the time of Moses and the jewish exodus from Egypt, when he was receiving instruction from God while on the mountain, he was told that he and the jewish people should not rebel against the guardian angel that God sends them. Gods name was in it, and it would not forgive and transgressions against it at that time.
Most people are incapable of such blasphemy: it requires an uncommon spiritual effort. Story of Leo Tolstoy, who was a heresyarch, comes pretty close though: at the end of his life, this outstanding man was looking for repentance, was walking circles around the monastery, left, and his disciples did not let near St. Varsonophiy see him when he was dying.
I'm currently in religious conflict with myself and what denomination of Christianity I should follow. Having been brought up a protestant I know nothing of any particular saints, why would they block that saint from meeting the dying man?
@@jestergodfield690 That was, of course, a mere abbot Varsonophy at the time, he was canonized 90 years later. Tolstoy founded a philosophical, quasi-religious movement which was at odds with the Church; he openly denied the fundamental dogmas. Adepts of that movement were obviously concerned he might reconcile with the Church, which would be a blow to that cult. On Oct 28 1910, Tolstoy visited Optina monastery (where St. Varsonophy was the abbot at the time) and expressed, to the monastery inn keeper, his desire to speak to "the elders" (senior monks). Then, without meeting any, he left for Shamordino monastery, where his sister Maria was a nun; to whom he also expressed a similar intention, even considering to stay and do chores at the monastery, "provided that they don't make me pray, which I can't do". While there, he became sick, his daughter Alexandra (who was an ardent adept of her father's cult) arrived October 30 and intended to take him to Moscow; but halfway he was worse and couldn't continue travel and stayed at the rail station warden's house. Abbot Varsonophy approached him at that place on October 5, but was turned down by Alexandra Tolstaya who sent a note her father does not want to meet him; which contradicts his own words of only several days ago. On October 7, Tolstoy died. "Lion though he was, he could not break the chains the satan bound him with". May God lead you in you quest for the -denominatoin- -to- -follow- one true Church.
@@xatrionx I think the prime example of such blasphemy was the condemnation of Christ to crucifixion by the Sanhedrin, members of which where refined religious scholars who knew the Scripture and all its prophecies by heart; and not just Him, they also intended to kill the resurrected Lazarus. Their job was to research the law; they knew exactly what they were doing. They asked Christ by whose authority he is acting (Mt. 21:23) - and they did not get the straight answer because they only needed it for political purposes. They asked again with an oath during the formal interrogation (Мt 26:63), and that time they got a straight answer - and still they missed the chance to recognize the One they were asking about.
@@BIoomingOnionexactly. Can we look deep into someone's existence to gauge that for ourselves? Of course not! If that person's still breathing it means God is allowing them time to repent and come to him. Ultimately our souls will go back to Him whether we like it or not 😂
@@MOGO8907 The unforgivable sin is being unrepentant. As long as you live, you can repent. Temporally speaking you are never beyond hope. Even after death, the prayers of the faithful can provide help on your behalf, at a point in time that you can no longer repent yourself.
“Repentance is greater than our mess.”
That hit me right between the eyes.
Thank you so much for bringing our Lord's Hope and Mercy back into my reality, one that our enemy allways seeks to rob me of! Our enemy hates me, and I hate Him! He hates me and tries to destroy me because I am allways seeking our Lord Jesus and the Holy spirit!
The thing that stops me from conquering my passions is pride. The minute I start having a bit of success against it, that’s when I face a temptation that I cannot resist and great is my fall. Lord, teach me to be humble and have humility and love.
That has been happening to me too.
The only way is to fight, and keep fighting with the weapons Christ has given us.
The Confession, the Holy Communion, the Fasting etc.
Recommended reading - Ladder of Divine Ascent by St. John Climacus... You can find online PDF version. Cheers.!
Crack a joke whenever that feeling of pride comes at you (obviously, from the devil). As a merry but earnest man from early childhood, I know that as St. Anthony of the Desert said, the devil can't bear to be mocked! Laughter, I know full well, is based on an absurdity surprising us by stating what is silly. This the devil hates - he wants us to take him SERIOUSLY! That's why God inspired St. Anthony to taunt his pyrotechnic displays: Satan was using these images to show he's powerful ... St. Anthony sneers at this and asks "Is that all you have? How weak!" And the devil would cease. Laughing at one's sensation of pride, I submit, deflates pride in an instant! Since the devil is joyless, this "shrugging our shoulders" at the preposterous idea that we are anything superior by having escaped one encounter with a vice is our way to LET GO OF IT, to kick it out for the absurdity that pride is! We have no basis for pride ... all we have that succeeds God has given us! See the Holy righteousness, indeed humility, of letting yourself laugh at this impulse you hate! Send it packing with a laugh at the fool devil who proposed it to us to embrace ... we instead REJECT it as idiotic. After that's done we have regained mastery of our will and our heartfelt love of Christ who is meek because only God has bragging rights, but He never brags - instead His great heart expresses Love.
I know this explanation of merriment-as-healthy is woefully oversimplified. I leave it to dear Fr. Josiah to develop it fully. The reality I'm just starting to capture here is that God is the font of TRUE merriment and has given us the gift, and it is another paradox, like all His infinitely profound creation. Heaven is filled not only with power but also with robust joy ... the devil is the idiot loser who only laughs in a spirit of hate. God knows how to laugh in perfect Holiness and He expects us to also.
I hope I'm saying this right. It's sequel to "To everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven." (Ecclesiastes 3:1) Praise our Lord God, joyful yet tender, relaxed yet glorious .... all our feelings come from Him; sin is our misuse of them. The Puritains would not allow themselves to feel any pleasure ... they wanted abject seriousness to be our only demeanor, snuffing out any sense of humor and enjoyment.
It's like this: "I have a sense of humor and I'm not afraid to use it. I laugh you out of my soul! Beat it, loser, you're absolutely no fun at all. I LAUGH at you and your pathetic pretensions and temptations. I sneeze them all out of me with a laugh, for you are absurd as is everything you propose. Get thee gone. HAH! Achoo!!"
Thank you father. I am working to enter Catechism at a local church, in no small part thanks to your teachings here on UA-cam. The fear of facing my deepest sins at times convinces me that I am not worthy of the church or will be refused. I must always remember Christ's forgiveness.
My brother. I recently started Catechism a couple of weeks ago. I have heard from so many orthodox Pastors & Priests that the Orthodox Church is a hospital. I don’t see how or why you would be turned away. If King David whom was an adulterer via murder, then certain a truly humble Son of God can be accepted into the church. Go in peace my Brother and let the Holy Spirit of God guide you and not the fear of the enemy. I pray for a fruitful Catechism and your confirmation and acceptance into the church, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
@kidthatcould9454 thank you very much brother - nothing but positivity for you and your journey. Glory be to Him.
You are worthy of his forgiveness Dear. Do not listen to the enemy telling you anything else.
@@kidthatcould9454beautifully said. It is a hospital Glory to God.❤️
It is about moving forward now in your life. Others may not want to move on, but remember us in a bad light. That is their problem, but God loves you and me.
Every time I stumble.. he picks me back up.. despite my weaknesses and sinful nature.. what a blessing to serve a God like this! Amen 🙏
HAPPY ORTHODOX NEW YEAR ☀🕊
🙏✝GOD BE WITH US AGAINST EVIL AND TEMPTATIONS 💪😇
Everyone can be redeemed. Amen, Father Josiah. I LOVE your teachings.
I love this Catholic/Orthodox conversation. God bless them for coming together and having this fantastic conversation! ❤
Love this. Well done, gentlemen.
I love his teachings.
Amen Father🙏 just finishing a period of penance and repentance myself and God is restoring grace to me❤☦
That comment on marriage was really great. Wish i had the help and wisdom about marriage growing up, i would not have married the way i did. My husband did not want to get married, but as a Christian, i wanted to. Then i remarried and that was for the wrong reason too. It matters so much how you view marriage, and how a future spouse views it too.
We cant gight our sins and passions alone, only with God. So, i hope God help us all who plead and call His name to help us to fight our passions !
We need more voice of reason father Josiah videos
Well said. Amen.
Orthodox 20+ years, married 5+ years. Divorce was blessed by priest. Great talk, talk is cheap.
Amen
The one guy sounds like rocky balboa ! adrian LOL
...or too small. Lord will blot out any sin, if we only do our part, repent it; but any small unrepentant sin can kill the soul.
It's exactly what father said. Paul only said that remaining single (having no desire for a sexual/marital companion) was good because you're free from the obligation of putting a spouse and family first, so that your entire focus can be to offer the sacrificial service of your whole life to the Lord. There is no other reason one should intentionally remain single other than dedicating their whole life to the Lord, such as missionaries and people in ministry circumstances that would create hardship for their family if they had one. The problem is, most people use this verse as an excuse to claim that "single is better", just because they want to be free and do what they want, not because they want to make the sacrifice of dedicating 100% of their attention to the Lord, and serve in potentially difficult circumstances. There is nothing "better" about being single, because Genesis tells us that one of the first commands from God to humanity was to be fruitful and multiply.. as man and wife! God literally stated that man should not be alone and gave him a wife on purpose! The Bible tells us over and over what a blessing and an asset a spouse and children are, but people still manage to get this verse from paul twisted all the time.
🧡💛💛💛💛💚🧡🧡💙
Pastor, can you explain how a person receives eternal life in Christ? And can be sure of Heaven?
In our view, you can never be sure until you die and meet Him.
Yes but she had communion at "last" time of her life.
tnx father
How should we repent (properly)?
Abandon the sin we are repenting. (Something I am struggling a great deal with.)
From my experience the holly spirit has to come to you through reading the scriptures and when he comes you’ll have an understanding of all things in the Bible and outside and how it applies to you in reality and why is wrong what you could be doing or not either to others or yourself
I find myself sometimes sobbing when I feel so forgiven ,so loved, understood ,and is easy for me to pour out my heart to God because is not easy as it seems , there’s lots of lup -holes inside of us ,denials,darkness sometimes
But my day is not the same after I do it
But I guess is something to experience by ourselves , he’ll find the way to get to you when you are ready
Don’t rush
…”repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance”..Acts 26:20
“… bear fruit in keeping with repentance”…Matthew 3:8
through prayer and through the blessing of God’s Grace; these words above I remind myself.
Father, my family was recently received into the Romanian Orthodox Christian Church of American Episcopate by Baptism, Chrismation and now receive Communion.
Can you please bless my family with a discount coupon for an order of 2 Icons? I plan on paying for them on January 20th.
One is Saint Nicholas (our Patron and Parish Saint) and the second is an Icon of the Guardian Angel.
My husband has had 6 back surgeries (a birth defect in the spine) and is now on disability. So we don't have much money.
Thank you so so much. I will comment this under your videos and hopefully you will answer, God willing.
☦️
What about if it’s too late and you have already divorced and it’s too late to amend the last marriage. Can you start again? I married for a second time and we’ve been together for 14 years. What do you suggest for people like us?
What about the unforgivable sin?
For my sake I hope you're right.
Forgive me I saw that you prayed holy Mary of Egypt together. I was taught that orthodox people don't pray with heterodox. Am I wrong?
Touch of the tism eh?
The audio is too fast.this is such a serious topic.. slow it down
You can adjust the playback speed in the settings.
The title is not accurate. Only the first minute or two contained a discussion of repentance.
So what about when it is too late? When the marriage breaks down, divorce, then one of them dies. It too late to repent. They're dead
Nothing is sealed until final Judgment. Keep hope and pray for the departed...
There are two instances of sin that I can remember being told of in the old testament that God would NOT forgive.
To blaspheme the Holy spirit, that is a sin God will not forgive.
During the time of Moses and the jewish exodus from Egypt, when he was receiving instruction from God while on the mountain, he was told that he and the jewish people should not rebel against the guardian angel that God sends them. Gods name was in it, and it would not forgive and transgressions against it at that time.
Most people are incapable of such blasphemy: it requires an uncommon spiritual effort. Story of Leo Tolstoy, who was a heresyarch, comes pretty close though: at the end of his life, this outstanding man was looking for repentance, was walking circles around the monastery, left, and his disciples did not let near St. Varsonophiy see him when he was dying.
I'm currently in religious conflict with myself and what denomination of Christianity I should follow.
Having been brought up a protestant I know nothing of any particular saints, why would they block that saint from meeting the dying man?
@@jestergodfield690 That was, of course, a mere abbot Varsonophy at the time, he was canonized 90 years later. Tolstoy founded a philosophical, quasi-religious movement which was at odds with the Church; he openly denied the fundamental dogmas. Adepts of that movement were obviously concerned he might reconcile with the Church, which would be a blow to that cult.
On Oct 28 1910, Tolstoy visited Optina monastery (where St. Varsonophy was the abbot at the time) and expressed, to the monastery inn keeper, his desire to speak to "the elders" (senior monks). Then, without meeting any, he left for Shamordino monastery, where his sister Maria was a nun; to whom he also expressed a similar intention, even considering to stay and do chores at the monastery, "provided that they don't make me pray, which I can't do". While there, he became sick, his daughter Alexandra (who was an ardent adept of her father's cult) arrived October 30 and intended to take him to Moscow; but halfway he was worse and couldn't continue travel and stayed at the rail station warden's house. Abbot Varsonophy approached him at that place on October 5, but was turned down by Alexandra Tolstaya who sent a note her father does not want to meet him; which contradicts his own words of only several days ago. On October 7, Tolstoy died. "Lion though he was, he could not break the chains the satan bound him with".
May God lead you in you quest for the -denominatoin- -to- -follow- one true Church.
could you explain to me what that blasphemy looks like? i am curious.
@@xatrionx I think the prime example of such blasphemy was the condemnation of Christ to crucifixion by the Sanhedrin, members of which where refined religious scholars who knew the Scripture and all its prophecies by heart; and not just Him, they also intended to kill the resurrected Lazarus. Their job was to research the law; they knew exactly what they were doing. They asked Christ by whose authority he is acting (Mt. 21:23) - and they did not get the straight answer because they only needed it for political purposes. They asked again with an oath during the formal interrogation (Мt 26:63), and that time they got a straight answer - and still they missed the chance to recognize the One they were asking about.
Is the Asia-guy with the beer-drinker-bass a catholic?
I cant take this Catholic guys voice seriously
Judge Dredd?
Beer drinker bass voice
200% percent!
Who's the Catholic guy? 😪
I think he's putting it on 😂
I'm conflicted. God commissions Adam & Eve to go out and populate. Good gives us marriage. Then Paul says it would be better to be single?
Why does father talk like few from Greece when he’s from Cali
I let my sin conquer me. I don't really regret it.
Good for you I guess
Why are you here in the first place
No forgiveness if you don't have a soul left and got claimed by satan
That attitude is what leads a lot of people to not repent. How can one of us decide if someone "doesn't have a soul left"?
@@BIoomingOnionexactly. Can we look deep into someone's existence to gauge that for ourselves? Of course not! If that person's still breathing it means God is allowing them time to repent and come to him. Ultimately our souls will go back to Him whether we like it or not 😂
@BIoomingOnion or if you committed the unforgivable sin
@@MOGO8907 The unforgivable sin is being unrepentant. As long as you live, you can repent. Temporally speaking you are never beyond hope. Even after death, the prayers of the faithful can provide help on your behalf, at a point in time that you can no longer repent yourself.
I'll pray for you.